Housing Infrastructure and Quality of Life of Orang Asli and Non-Orang Asli Populations in Kuala Langat, Selangor

Last reviewed: March 2026

Summary

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between housing infrastructure and quality of life among Orang Asli (indigenous) and non-Orang Asli populations residing in the Kuala Langat district of Selangor, Malaysia. The Orang Asli are the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, comprising approximately 0.7% of the country’s total population. Despite decades of government development programmes, many Orang Asli communities continue to experience significant socio-economic disadvantages relative to the wider Malaysian population. Housing conditions represent one of the most visible markers of this inequality.

The researchers recruited participants from Orang Asli settlements and nearby non-Orang Asli villages within the Kuala Langat district, which is home to a substantial Temuan sub-ethnic population. Data were collected through structured questionnaires that assessed both objective housing conditions — including the type of building materials, access to clean water, availability of electricity, sanitation facilities, and proximity to health services — and subjective quality of life using validated instruments across physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains.

Background and Context

Malaysia has made remarkable strides in poverty reduction and housing development since independence in 1957. National development programmes, from the New Economic Policy of the 1970s through to the more recent Malaysia Plans, have targeted affordable housing for lower-income groups. The Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) has implemented specific programmes including the Regroupment Scheme (Rancangan Pengumpulan Semula), which relocates scattered settlements into planned villages with improved infrastructure. However, the effectiveness of these programmes has been debated by researchers and advocacy groups alike.

Kuala Langat district, situated in the southern part of Selangor, has undergone rapid development driven by its proximity to Kuala Lumpur and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport corridor. Despite this modernisation, Orang Asli settlements in the district have historically been situated on marginal land, often near palm oil plantations or forest reserves, with limited access to the infrastructure improvements benefiting surrounding communities. This geographic and economic marginality provides an important context for understanding the disparities documented in this study.

The concept of quality of life in housing research extends beyond structural adequacy to encompass a holistic view of wellbeing. The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) framework, which informed the assessment tools used in this study, recognises that perceived quality of life is influenced not only by physical living conditions but also by cultural expectations, social relationships, personal beliefs, and environmental factors. For the Orang Asli, whose traditional lifestyle was closely integrated with the natural environment, the transition to modern housing represents a complex negotiation between development aspirations and cultural preservation.

Methodology

The study employed a comparative cross-sectional design, sampling households from both Orang Asli and non-Orang Asli communities within the same administrative district. Participants were adults aged 18 years and above who had resided in their respective communities for at least one year. The sampling strategy was designed to ensure adequate representation from both population groups.

Housing infrastructure was assessed through a checklist that documented building materials (walls, roof, and flooring), sources of water supply (treated piped water, well water, or river water), sanitation type (flush toilet, pit latrine, or open defecation), electricity access, cooking fuel type, and distance to the nearest health facility. These indicators align with international standards used in the Millennium Development Goals and subsequent Sustainable Development Goals for measuring adequate housing.

Quality of life was measured using a validated instrument that captured respondents’ subjective assessments across four domains: physical health (including pain and discomfort, energy and fatigue, and sleep), psychological health (including self-esteem, body image, and negative feelings), social relationships (including personal relationships, social support, and sexual activity), and the environmental domain (including financial resources, physical safety, home environment, and access to health services).

Key Results

The findings revealed marked disparities in housing infrastructure between the two population groups. Orang Asli households were significantly more likely to live in dwellings constructed from impermanent materials such as bamboo and wood, compared to the brick and concrete construction prevalent in non-Orang Asli homes. Access to treated piped water was substantially lower among Orang Asli households, with some communities still relying on river water or gravity-fed systems for their primary water supply.

Sanitation facilities represented another significant area of disparity. While the majority of non-Orang Asli households had access to flush toilets connected to septic systems or sewerage networks, a notable proportion of Orang Asli households relied on pit latrines or shared communal facilities. These sanitation deficiencies have direct implications for disease transmission, particularly for waterborne and faecal-oral infections that disproportionately affect indigenous communities.

Quality of life scores followed a consistent pattern across all four WHOQOL domains, with Orang Asli respondents reporting lower scores in physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. The environmental domain, which directly captures perceived quality of the living environment, showed particularly pronounced differences. These findings suggest that housing infrastructure deficiencies translate into measurable reductions in subjective wellbeing.

Discussion and Implications

The results of this study add to a growing body of evidence documenting health and environmental disparities affecting Malaysia’s Orang Asli communities. The persistence of these inequalities, despite decades of targeted development programmes, raises important questions about the effectiveness of current policy approaches and the degree to which they account for the unique cultural, geographic, and socio-economic circumstances of indigenous populations.

Several factors may explain the observed disparities. First, land tenure insecurity — a longstanding issue for Orang Asli communities — may discourage investment in permanent housing structures by both governments and communities themselves. The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954, while affording certain protections, has been criticised for providing insufficient security of tenure compared to land rights frameworks for indigenous peoples in other countries. Without assured land rights, the incentive for durable infrastructure investment is diminished.

Second, the geographic isolation of many Orang Asli settlements creates logistical challenges for the extension of piped water systems, electrical grids, and road networks. While government programmes have made progress in connecting more settlements to basic infrastructure, the cost per household is often higher in dispersed rural communities than in denser non-Orang Asli villages.

Third, cultural factors may influence both the type of housing preferred by Orang Asli communities and their engagement with government housing programmes. Some communities express preferences for traditional housing designs and materials that are better adapted to local environmental conditions and cultural practices. Effective housing policy must therefore balance the provision of adequate infrastructure with respect for cultural preferences and community self-determination.

Limitations

This study was limited by its cross-sectional design, which captures only a snapshot of conditions at a single point in time and cannot establish causal relationships between housing infrastructure and quality of life. The study was confined to a single district in Selangor, and findings may not be generalisable to Orang Asli communities in other states with different sub-ethnic compositions, geographic settings, and levels of development. Self-reported quality of life measures are inherently subjective and may be influenced by respondent expectations and cultural norms. Additionally, the study did not control for all potential confounders such as individual income, education level, or duration of residence.

Significance for Public Health

The findings underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach to improving indigenous health outcomes in Malaysia — one that addresses the social determinants of health, including housing, alongside direct healthcare interventions. The connection between housing conditions and quality of life demonstrated in this study supports calls for increased investment in Orang Asli infrastructure, culturally sensitive housing design programmes, and strengthened community participation in development planning. As Malaysia progresses toward its 2030 sustainable development targets, ensuring that indigenous communities share equitably in national development gains remains a critical challenge.